Respiratory therapy apparatus delivering intermittent positive pressure breathing assistance with a pressure plateau

Respiratory therapy apparatus (1) for supplying intermittent positive pressure breathing (IPPB) assistance to an individual, comprising:

• a peripheral casing or shell (1.1),
• a motorized turbine (2) for supplying a respiratory gas under pressure,
• an internal gas circuit (3) for conveying the respiratory gas delivered by the turbine (2),
• a flowrate sensor (5) arranged on the internal gas circuit (3),
• a nonreturn device (6) arranged in the internal gas circuit (3) downstream of the flowrate sensor (5),
• an external patient circuit (10) that can be fluidically connected to the internal gas circuit (3) to convey the respiratory gas coming from the internal gas circuit (3),
• a proximal-pressure sensor (7) arranged to allow the measuring of the pressure within the external patient circuit (10), and
• operating means (4) connected to the proximal-pressure sensor (7) and to the motorized turbine (2) and configured to command the turbine (2) as a function of at least one pressure measurement taken by the proximal-pressure sensor (7) and of at least one flowrate measurement taken by the flowrate sensor (5),
• and wherein the turbine (2), the operating means (4), the internal circuit (3), the flowrate sensor (5) and the nonreturn device (6) are arranged in the peripheral casing or shell (1.1),
• characterized in that the operating means (4) are configured to, during each of the individual's inspiratory phases:
• a) command the turbine to supply a regulated gas flowrate (Qadjusted), over the course of a non-zero gas insufflation duration (Di) that is sufficient to reach a set maximum-pressure threshold (Pmax), and
• b) when a measured pressure (Pmeas) measured by the proximal-pressure sensor is greater than or equal to the pre-set maximum-pressure threshold (Pmax), command the turbine to supply a plateau pressure (Pplat) corresponding to the maximum-pressure threshold (Pmax) so as to keep at least part of the external patient circuit at said plateau pressure (Pplat), over the course of a given non-zero plateau duration (Dp).